Some turbo machines such as, but not limited to, automobiles, trucks, aircraft, locomotives, ships, and auxiliary power generators, utilize a turbocharger, which may increase the internal combustion engine efficiency and power output of such turbo machines. The turbocharger, being a turbine-driven device, may achieve this by forcing extra air into the combustion chamber of the engine. For example, exhaust gas from the engine may drive the turbine of the turbocharger to drive a compressor wheel of the turbocharger compressor, which may draw in ambient air, compress the air, and then supply this extra air to the engine. In this manner, the engine may have improved fuel economy, reduced emissions, and higher power and torque.
The exhaust gas from the engine that flows through the turbine, however, may reach temperatures in excess of 600° C. and may penetrate the adjacent bearing housing. The bearing system housed in the bearing housing, however, may experience undesirable effects, such as overheating of the bearing lubrication oil or fluid, when exposed to such temperatures. As such, efforts have been made to reduce exposure of such temperatures to the bearing system. For example, some traditional turbochargers employ a cooling jacket for circulating engine coolant, via the engine, through the bearing housing to cool the bearing system and other internal structural parts of the turbocharger.
Another example may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 8,784,036 ('036 patent), which discloses a cooling system for a turbocharger that utilizes air bled from the compressor into the cooling jacket instead of engine coolant. While arguably effective for its intended purpose, the cooling system of the '036 patent fails to address cooling the bearing housing adjacent the turbine, which may be exposed to elevated exhaust gas temperatures circulating therefrom.